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Jordan Walker thinks that pet cats are great for people who are equally independent. He has always enjoyed being in the company of pets and is now sharing tips to other pet parents at Coops And Cages and in blogs such as this one. He will be giving you information on cat aggression with this article.

Fangs out and the snakelike hiss. Pet cats that display such behaviors are look anything but a friendly animal companion. Approaching it is like choosing to share one’s bedroom with a drunk stranger. You don’t know if you will be walking out of the room safe or torn into pieces. Has your pet been showing some signs of cat aggression lately? How are you dealing with it? Did it help when you left it alone? Or is it getting worse with every single day?

Why Cat Aggression Happens

If you want to help your cat overcome this behavioral problem, you need to understand why it’s happening in the first place. Here are some of the possible reasons:

1. It’s afraid. They are just cats and not invincible superheroes. They also feel afraid just like you do. When you are cornered by some robber in a dark alley, would you still feel safe? This is how cats feel when they visit the vet’s clinic, when being confronted by a bigger cat, or when cornered by a person they just met. It’s their way of saying that you need to keep your distance and leave them alone.

2. It’s reacting to something it can’t see. Something might have caught its very sensitive sense of hearing and is sensing some potential danger next door. This type of aggression is also called redirected aggression. Your pet cat is being stimulated by something that this has no direct access to.

3. It doesn’t like to be touched. Petting a cat is one of the ways that pet owners show their affection to feline pets. However, there are moments that they don’t feel like being petted. If this shows any signs of anger while being petted on its head or body, it only means that it doesn’t want to be touched at the moment.

4. Other cats may smell different. Pet cats are like dogs. They also mark their territories and they are able to do this with their powerful sense of smell. Their territory is not open to cat strangers. Did you take the other pet cat with you at the vet’s clinic and when this came back, the other pet cat was acting overstimulated than usual? The other cat must have caught up another scent, making it smell like a totally different cat. The other pet was not able to recognize this right away.

5. As a motherly instinct. Humans are not the only ones who can genuinely care for their babies. Cat moms are like that too. They see their kittens as vulnerable, needing her protection. Call it their own way of being a real mommy to their kids. Even your own pet may find the need to protect her litter of kittens from you and the other members of the family, ready to launch into its aggressive cat mode if you come too close for comfort.

6. It’s playing. It may not be about you or the other pets inside the house. Maybe they are just feeling a bit bored and need to burn their excess energy. Cats could try catching your feet with their paws. With other cats, you could see them being a little bit too rough, just a common predatory play.

7. For unknown reasons. There are some cats that simply attack their owners for unknown reasons although this is not considered a common occurrence. Why they do it can’t be explained by their medical records and behavioral history.

What to Do About It

The way to deal with an aggressive cat will depend upon its cause. Here are some solutions that could prevent this from happening again:

1. Use treats. If your pet does not want to be petted, then maybe you are coming in too strong before it became fully comfortable with you. Instead of initiating the action first, sit at the couch and allow your pet to come to you if it feels like it. Try touching its head lightly with small strokes at first. If it shows any sign of discomfort, stop. Repeat this procedure until it allows you to pet it longer. You can also speed up its process of warming up to you by offering it some tasty treats.

2. Divert its attention. If your cat is hissing at an invisible enemy, clap your hands loudly. This will jolt it back to its sanity, preventing from further fixation. As for the catthat is trying to boss around the other cat, quench its anger with water. Put some in a spray bottle and squirt it on your pet cat.

3. Stay away. You can easily spot when an aggressive cat will in no way be morphing into an amazing pet regardless of how you choose to deal with it. If your cat is too worked up with emotional turmoil, the best way to deal with it is stay away and let it cool its temper on its own.

4. Give interactive toys. Cats that don’t have any other pals to play with will designate you as their official best play buddy. If you don’t like being bugged with their aggressive playful tactics, what you can do is offer the use of interactive toys. Simple toys also work great for some too such as a ball or fish pole type of toy.

When Nothing Works

If the suggestions above do not work, then it’s time that you get professional help. Your pet cat may be suffering from a certain health condition that you do not know of. Furthermore, diet has been linked to aggressive behavior in cats, another reason to visit the vet and get a checkup. If you find that it’s in a great shape, then consider hiring a professional trainer. Cat aggression is a serious condition that could hurt you and a professional trainer might be able to help you modify its behavior.

Conclusion

Cat aggression could be or could not be cured overnight depending on its cause. The best way to prevent yourself from getting hurt if by staying away. If the problem persists, seek professional help right away to prevent you, your other pets, and possibly the cat with the aggression problem from getting hurt.

Jordan is the lead content curator for Coops And Cages as well as a couple of other pet related blogs. His passion for animals is only matched by his love for ‘attempting’ to play the guitar. If you would like to catch him, you can via Google+ or Twitter: @CoopsAndCages

You see your dog every day, so it’s easy to forget how incredible your canine friend really is! Consider some of the following fun facts about your pet!

• Dogs have been “man’s best friend” for about 100,000 years.
• Dogs to not have an appendix.
• Your dog can make approximately 100 different facial expressions.
• The average dog can reach speeds of 30 kilometers per hour, though sighthounds can run even faster!
• Your dog’s ears can accurately locate the source of a sound in just six one-hundredths of a second!
• Dogs do have sweat glands, but only on the bottoms of their feet.
• Newfoundland dogs have webbed feet and a coat that resists water.
• While we’re discussing water, a total of three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic. The dogs, which were owned by first class passengers, included a Pekingese and two Pomeranians.
• Your dog can dream, just like you. Sleep studies have revealed that dogs go through similar sleep phases, including rapid eye movement (REM) phases and slow wave sleep or SWS phases.
• While your dog has an incredibly powerful sense of smell, you actually have many more taste buds than your dog. Humans have about 9,000 taste buds, while dogs have around 1,700.
• Chow Chow and Sharpei dogs are known for their blue tongues, but they’re not born with these curiously colored tongues. They gradually turn from pink to blue around 8 weeks of age.
• Similarly, the Dalmation isn’t born with his spots! The Dalmation’s spots gradually form during puppyhood and adolescence.

Finding the right name for your pet can be challenging and there are so many options to choose from. So how do you choose just one?

Creating a short list of pet names that you enjoy is a great starting point. It’s also important to consider nicknames. Pet names often evolve, so you’ll want to ensure there’s a nice nickname in the event that you decide to use a nickname instead.

When picking a pet name, it’s best to pick a two or three syllable name, while avoiding one syllable names. The reason? Training commands are virtually always one syllable words, so it’s important that your pet can easily differentiate their name from other words and commands.

It’s best to avoid long names, beyond 3 syllables, as they can be difficult for the ear to “catch.”

Many owners find it’s beneficial to get to know the pet before coming up with a name. Often, a pet’s personality and mannerisms will suggest a name that “just fits.” In this way, your pet can “tell” you his or her name through their mannerisms and personality.

Above all, if you’re unsure about your pet’s name, don’t force it! Give it some time and the right name will come to you. We also have a great site to assist with this. Simply visit our pet names site and start choosing.

A recent study at the City University London has revealed that dogs and cats may be among the many animals who can see ultraviolet light. Other animals who can see ultraviolet include insects, birds and reptiles.

Animal experts have long known that dogs and cats do see in color, contrary to the common misconception that they only see in black and white. But this new discovery about their ability to view ultraviolet light wavelengths is a new discovery that offers a bit more insight into animal behavior.

Quite simply, your cat or dog may act like they see something that’s not there because they’re seeing something that you can’t see!

Dogs and cats cannot see “warm” tones such as red and orange; their vision is primarily centered in the “cool” end of the light spectrum, as they can see shades of green, blues and purple. So reds and oranges appear as shades of blue, green or violet.

The human eye has a lens that blocks UV light, but there are actually some humans who’ve undergone cataract or other lens replacement surgery and after the operation, they found they could see UV light because they were given artificial replacement lenses that did not have UV-blocking properties.

Obsessive compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, isn’t just a human condition. It’s a condition that could also affect your pet!

That’s according to a recent announcement of the discovery of a so-called canine OCD gene. In fact, scientists have discovered a total of four genes that have been linked to this condition, which can cause serious emotional distress and behavioral problems in dogs of all breeds and ages.

Dogs who suffer from OCD exhibit a wide range of different symptoms and repetitive behaviors, including:

Owners of dogs with OCD cannot distract or redirect a dog who suffers from OCD. Typically, the pet will spend hours performing a particular behavior, even despite of injury such as skin infections. Some pets with OCD have been known to self-mutilate to the point of requiring amputation.

Like humans, dogs cannot be “cured” of OCD, but it is possible to treat a pet’s OCD using medications such as anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs.

If you suspect your dog has OCD, it’s important to discuss the situation with your veterinarian. Some OCD-like behaviors can also result from anxiety or boredom, so it’s important to thoroughly evaluate the pet’s behavior. If your dog does appear to have OCD or another condition, such as anxiety, your vet can provide your pet with medications and other therapies that can improve the symptoms.

In anticipation of the Sochi Olympics, officials had announced their plans to kill approximately 2,000 stray dogs. Despite outcry, officials in Sochi, Russia reportedly started poisoning and euthanizing the sizable stray dog population in the days leading up to the Olympics for fear they would bother the athletes and other visitors. It was a story that left animal advocates enraged and saddened.

But this story has taken an unexpected turn for the best, as athletes from across the globe have started falling in love with Sochi’s stray dogs. Many have already started to make arrangements to take them home to their respective countries at the end of the Olympics.

Athletes have not only started feeding the friendly strays; they’ve also taken it upon themselves to get the dogs sterilized, vaccinated and treated for health problems. Many Olympians are actively working to help find homes for these dogs in Russia; while others are planning to take them home.

Adopting a dog from another country isn’t easy, as it requires examinations to ensure the pet’s health, travel fees and mandatory quarantine to ensure the pet isn’t carrying a an illness or disease. But as with adopting any pet, the rewards can be tremendous. You may quite literally save a life.

Quite simply, the world’s Olympians have successfully transformed a sad story into a very heartwarming one by going the extra mile to help the stray dogs of Sochi.

Just as human foods can be tainted with salmonella, bacteria and other harmful things that can make you sick, the same goes for you pet’s food and treats. But unfortunately, not every pet food recall makes it into the news (and not everyone has time to watch the news!)

So how can you stay updated on potentially dangerous pet foods and related recalls?

The first step is to sign up for your pet food company’s newsletter. This is the single easiest way to learn about pet food recalls involving your favorite brand of treats and cat or dog food. Most pet food companies offer coupons to their newsletter subscribers too!

You can also stay updated by setting up a Google Alert for “pet food recalls” or a similar term. Creating a Google Alert takes seconds and you can choose the frequency of updates (hourly, daily, weekly, etc.) This enables you to receive an email notification each time a pet food recall is mentioned in a news article.

It’s simple measures such as these that can help you to help your pet by avoiding recalled pet foods and treats!

Worldwide, there have been multiple reports of dogs who’ve gotten seriously ill after eating meat jerky pet treats. Cases have been reported in the U.S., Australia and many other nations across the globe.

According to published reports, there is no single brand affected involved, which has made a recall virtually impossible. The only common thread among all of the cases is that they involved meat jerky dog treats that have been manufactured in China.

The symptoms that pets are suffering range in severity and nature. Many pet owners are reporting symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, a refusal to eat, dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea, fever and pancreatitis, among other symptoms.

If you buy treats for your dog, you may want to steer clear of jerky style treats for the time-being. It’s also wise to keep your treat packaging until the treats are finished, as the package contains important information such as lot number, which can help track the treats and aid in the issuance of a recall.

A Scandinavian group called the Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery — or, more simply, NSID — has developed a device called No More Woof. The system that reads a dog’s EEG brain waves and then translates those brain waves into English (and soon, Mandarin, French and Spanish, too.)

The No More Woof Micro can distinguish three different thought patterns for hunger, curiosity and tiredness. The No More Woof Standard can distinguish four or more canine thought patterns and it can be calibrated to work for multiple dogs; its software can also be upgraded when new versions become available.

The NSID admits that the first generation No More Woof was pretty primitive, but they point out that the first computer was quite primitive as well. A more sophisticated brain-computer interface (BCI) could translate more complex thoughts and emotions.

What’s more, there’s hope that the technology could have other more practical applications, such as enabling disable pets to move artificial limbs. There’s even potential for two-way communication by converting your words into dog language, with your words or thoughts sent directly to the pet’s brain!

Notably, No More Woof’s creators had launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, seeking to raise $10,000 USD to fund further development. But as 2014 arrived, NSID had already exceeded their goal, raising just short of $17,000 USD.

If you’re a bit crafty and want to make a few fun homemade toys for kitty, here are a few ideas to try!

To make a catnip pouch, get an old sock and put a golf ball-sized bit of catnip in the toe. Tie a knot into the sock, just above the pouch and cut off the excess. You’ll be left with a tube of fabric. Many socks are long enough for you to make a second pouch. Just place a knot at one end of the tube, fill with catnip and knot again.

Make a homemade kitty wand by unraveling a wire coat hanger. Straighten the wire and use wire snips to cut off the kinked ends. Twist the wire into a loop at one end — the loop will serve as an attachment point for a ribbon or teaser, and the loop will prevent your kitty from poking his eye out with the wire tip! Make your own kitty teaser with a few feathers, plucked from your feather duster and affixed with a bit of thread.

Make a toilet paper roll sunburst by making a 1 ½ inch snip every one-third inch around both openings of the toilet paper roll. Then, bend the strips a bit so it looks like a sun. It will bounce around, keeping kitty occupied for hours!